Solar Illegon
Solar Illegon is the last remnant of the great empire of Ruvia, and perhaps its truest successor. It contains Mount Genosus, on which dwells the Sun, and which is the center of the Genosian faith. The Pontifatrix rules the lands of Illegon as well as heading the religion. History The Ruvian Empire was, at one time, a massive Imperial power so extensive and culturally powerful that even thousands of years after its collapse, there are multiple empires fighting over who is to be considered its successor. This authority might be rooted in the religious significance of Ruvia itself, as well as that of Mt. Genosus, the great mountain that is home to Genosus's mightiest temple and the Solar Archives. The Ruvian Empire may have collapsed, but Solar Illegon still persists, and maintains many of the traditions of the old Empire. The Pontifatrix The Empress of Illegon is also the Pontifatrix, the official head of Ruvian Genosism, and the only individual allowed to commune with Genosus himself, entering his realm through a gate in the Solar Temple atop Mt. Genosus. Traditionally, they are first tested by the Paladins there to prove their worthiness. Upon emerging from the Solar Gate, the sunburned, heat-dazed Pontifatrix stumbles to a table and writes. These sunbaked scrawlings are then interpreted by the priesthood, who try to fit them into the Solar Scriptures to form a coherent document. Military The Ruvian Legions The Legionaries are armed with weapons good for the melee that can fare well against foes in armor. Primarily maces. The men in the front ranks carry small firearms to discharge at the enemy right before the unit charges, but before even this there are skirmishers (Velites) with arquebuses, pistols, handguns and crossbows who act as a screen for the advancing infantry. The cavalry, at the same time, mostly fight in a Ritteresque fashion, with pistols. The Ruvians have knights, but these men rarely fight in large formations, and almost never for lance charges. The Legion's cavalry fights to disrupt and harass enemy horse so that the infantry can do their job. So in the ideal world, the Legion advances towards an enemy in a long, layered formation, while the cavalry work on the flanks to keep enemy horse from sweeping around. The Legion lacks long range missile power, but they carry shields, and are not easily broken up. If enemy cavalry hit them frontally, they expect their formations to be dense enough and deep enough to repel them. As they close with the enemy line, the skirmishers withdraw to the back of the units. The front rank fires in two stages, one at thirty yards, one at twenty, and then the unit charges. If the enemy somehow retains order, particularly if they're pikemen or a good shield-wall, things turn very bloody at this point, but the Ruvians are still no slouches, and try to muscle through. Ideally however, point-blank firepower shakes the unit enough for the charge to overwhelm them and turn it into a proper bloodbath, which generally ends in Ruvian victory. The Knightly Orders The Hematite Order: The Order is made up entirely of men hand-picked by their commander, a Paladin named Gaius Cornelius Sulla. The Order's task is to police the famously treacherous political, military, and chivalric orders of Illegon, and it does so to tremendous effect.While the Order is theoretically holy in nature (especially given its leadership,) it has no official ties to the Church, and answers directly to the current Pontifatrix, and nobody else. The Order is infamous for executing members of other Orders, even going so far as to nearly annihilate the Apatite Order during the Northern Crusade, which has left the two bitter rivals ever since. The Apatite Order: Militant, an order dedicated to the construction and defense of fortresses. Siege experts from either side of the walls, the Apatite Order is often deployed to foreign soil to aid allies in defense or assault of fortifications. The Malachite Order: Civic order dedicated to the construction and maintenance of hospitals. Their cooperation with the Burdinadin has put them at the forefront of medical science in Vosca, though much of their knowledge is theoretical. The Sapphire Order: Militant, a strange knightly order in that its province is almost entirely maritime. Raised to combat piracy, defend Illegon's many island territories, and protect trade with foreign nations. The only Illegosean Knightly Order to contain Elves (at least six Zells.) The Sugilite Order: A more traditional chivalric order raised to fight in the crusades and to defend Illegon's interests abroad. Famous for their actions during the Kasonic Order's northern crusades--rather than halt the violence, as they were explicitly ordered to by the Pontifatrix, the Sugilite Order assisted their Kasonic enemies in massacring as many pagans as possible over a span of six months, stopping only when the Hematite Order arrived to execute the Knight-Commander for disobeying Imperial decree. Dangerous fanatics, but also dangerously effective, they consider it their duty to fight infidels and heretics, even if it means violating orders and facing excommunication or death for doing so. Category:Countries